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Residents Fill Levee Board Meeting for Answers
Area residents filled the Sugarloaf Township Community Building Wednesday evening to hear local officials and experts explain the situation regarding decertification of local levees and FEMA’s new flood maps which go into effect July of 2010. Gary Hoelscher, President of Hoelscher Engineering, was present to answer technical questions regarding the levees and the certification process. Bruce Doyle, State Farm Insurance Agent, was on hand to field questions regarding National Flood Insurance and it’s cost to homeowners. FEMA’s plan would call for the owners of all properties that fall within these new boundaries to carry national flood insurance and any new construction would require flood-proofing requirements. Flood insurance is required on funds secured from any federally regulated financial institution. So if you owe money to the bank on your home or property, those amounts would have to be insured.
The Villages of Dupo and East Carondelet along with every other community along the river in Madison, St Clair and Monroe Counties have filed an appeal against the new flood maps developed by FEMA and the Corps of Engineers to have the maps reviewed and postpone the effective date of the plan. The Levee District along with the other communities and counties involved hired Hoelscher Engineering, P.C. to look into the current condition of the levees, the Corps of Engineers findings and FEMA’s process of decertification. Hoelscher Engineering found that the Corps of Engineers findings were incorrect and that FEMA’s investigation which was used to decertify the levees was handled improperly. Dupo Mayor Ron Dell said, “It seems funny to me that they’re picking on us on this side of the river when all of the problems seem to be on the Missouri side. Do our levees need repairs? Yes they do. Do we feel comfortable with our levees? After the flood of 93', yes, I feel comfortable with them.” Madison-St. Clair and Monroe are in a different FEMA region and have a different timetable than the MO side which is in another FEMA region. Officials have indicated that they were going to look into the “uneven” nature of these requirements.
Since the flood of 93' the local levee board has rebuilt all of the pump stations, relined all of the gravity drains in the levees and upgraded all of the control panels. When the Corps of Engineers decided that more studies were needed on the levees, money from two different bond issues provided over $750,000.00 and St Clair County provided another $1.25 million to complete the studies. Currently a bill that US Representative Jerry Costello has introduced (HR 3415) would postpone the new Flood Maps for seven years giving areas like ours time to make repairs to the levees to meet FEMA’s requirements and thus not require residents to purchase flood insurance. Local levee board Chairman Mike Sullivan said, “We feel our levees are safe, but after Hurricane Katrina FEMA went to a different standard and asked the Corps of Engineers if the levees up and down the Mississippi were up to a 100 year certification. The Corps of Engineers said that our levees were not. The levees are not bad but it’s the under seepage that is the issue. These levees were designed and built in the 50's by the Corps of Engineers. They (the Corps of Engineers) messed up but now they want us to pay to fix them.”
In addition, all Bottomland communities would be required to adopt new flood plain construction requirements in order for our continued participation in the NFIP. Participation in the NFIP requires: that flood-prone areas be identified and mapped; communities must participate in map modernization initiatives and the affected local governments adopt and enforce flood plain management regulations. This requirement would affect thousands of residents in the bottoms, numerous businesses and the economic development health of the entire region. Millions of dollars in tax revenues to local governments and schools are at risk. This action will have impact on the region which can ripple out and affect the entire economy of southwestern Illinois. It impacts over 50,000 jobs and over 150,000 people and would affect major employers in the Metro-East.
If you would like to contact your congressman in support of US Rep. Jerry Costello’s bill HR 3415 which would delay the new maps and plan for 7 years here are their addresses;
Senator Richard Durbin
525 South 8th St.
Springfield, IL 62703
(217) 492-4062
Senator Roland Burris
607 East Adams
Suite 1520
Springfield, IL 62701
(217) 492-5089
US Representative John Shimkus
3130 Chatham Rd
Suite C
Springfield, IL 62704
(217) 492-5090
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